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Justin Langer has been affected by a back injury but is expected to return in time for the tour to New Zealand. He was due to play in Western Australia’s Pura Cup clash against Tasmania, but pulled out after the injury, which had threatened his appearance for the Boxing Day Test, recurred on Wednesday morning.Wayne Clark, Western Australia’s coach, played down the extent of the injury and said that Langer would consult with the Australian side’s medical staff. “He finds it difficult to bend over and we’ve decided to rest him from this game,” Clark said. “Given another day or two he probably would have been fine. He felt a recurrence of it on Wednesday morning and just didn’t have enough time to get it right.”Langer’s injury could have also affected his chances – remote ones, admittedly – of opening for Australia in the one-dayers. Usually not seen as a one-day player, Langer has been vocal about his exclusion from the ODIs. The poor run that Matthew Hayden, his opening partner in Tests, has suffered in recent times raised the possibility of Langer being tried out.

Dennis Lillee has called for the debut of Shaun Tait as he voiced fears the current side were losing their grip on the Ashes, with the teams going into Thursday’s fourth Test with the series level at 1-1.Lillee, who took 167 wickets in 29 Ashes Tests from 1970 to 1983, said Australia were a team in decline with a number of players reaching the end of their careers together. “England are on top while Ricky Ponting’s side are on a downhill run, coming towards the end of an extraordinary time when they have conquered everything in their path for many years,” Lillee told .”This is a very good England side playing against a team containing some players reaching their sell-by date,” said Lillee, whose tally of 355 Test wickets was a then-world record until beaten by Ian Botham in 1986.Lillee was particularly impressed by the “best England attack I’ve seen for years”, highlighting the fact that in Stephen Harmison, Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones the hosts have three men capable of bowling at over 90mph. “The pace of England’s bowling has exposed technical problems caused by advancing years and playing against some mediocre attacks in recent times,” Lillee said.”Openers Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden are 34 and 33 respectively. Damien Martyn is 33, Adam Gilchrist 33 and Simon Katich is 30 today [Sunday]. Batsmen cannot escape the problems caused by anno domini. That lack of sharpness is never more exposed than by a pace attack such as the blindingly quick one England have deployed.”Lillee said Tait should be included for the fourth Test at the expense of Jason Gillespie, who said his place was under threat after taking just three wickets at an average of 100 apiece in the opening three matches. “Now is the hour for the Australia selectors to pick Tait, the fast bowler I believe should have been thrown into this series from the first Test.”Picking the 22-year-old bowler from South Australia is no risk. He has all the resources in his armoury to stick the ball right up the noses of the England batsmen, as Brett Lee has done so effectively in taking 15 wickets in the first three Tests.” Tait’s inclusion would also help reduce the age of an Australia side where 24-year-old batsman Michael Clarke is the current outstanding young player.”We are seeing one of the greatest contests of all time,” Lillee said. “But what concerns me is that I am not sure we have the resources to maintain our standards when this side breaks up. This team has been together so long that a generation of players who could have played for Australia have been skipped. I don’t see too many Michael Clarkes in the wings. I hope I’m wrong but I’ll settle for Shaun Tait’s promotion for now.”

If you’re in Bangladesh for just one day, make sure it’s a Friday. That’s the day when the masses throng the roads, the kids drag their parents out in search of the parks, and the parents spend a day away from what must be a fairly onerous working week. Chittagong, though, is a bit different from Dhaka, in that there are a mere 7000 cycle-rickshaws per half-kilometre, a mere pound and a half of suspended particles per cubic metre of air.An English journalist once described Chittagong as a breath of fresh air, and in a limited sense that’s accurate. Sections of the city have gently sloping hills, and the poverty and despair that seem to assault the visitor in Dhaka are not as apparent, perhaps gently alleviated by the sea breeze that cools things down as the sun begins its downward journey.On Friday, just one day after another holiday – Victory Day – you would have been forgiven for thinking that the census board was lying when it recorded that Chittagong had about a quarter of the population of Dhaka. The stands were well-packed, though the support waned as Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid silenced the yelling and chanting with booming drives. There’s nothing like the crack of opposition willow on leather to shut the crowds up.But for most of the day, the real action was outside the ground. The Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka is skirted by electronics stores, so the chatter is naturally businesslike and rather dull. The edges of the MA Aziz Stadium, on the other hand, are teeming with life. East of the ground is what would have been a large open space, before it was taken over by a mammoth circus tent. All manner of garish amusements trot in and out of the tent with regularity, and almost to provide relief to the eyes, the immediate surroundings of the tent is a dhobi ghat. Large swathes of clothes dry on lines and, to the untrained eye, the whole exercise seems a waste of time, as the thick exhaust fumes of vehicles and the heavy dust particles drift towards the freshly washed clothes.If you wander towards the media box, which is at the Circuit House End, overlooking an amusement park, you have to go past the curiously named Royal Hut kebab house. The aroma of an assortment of meats being grilled over hot coals tempts you towards the shop, but you know that the cricket beckons, and refrain. The location of the kebab house could not be more apt, as it is owned by Nurul Abedin, the brother of Minhazul Abedin, and Shahidur Rahman, both former Bangladesh cricketers.But on Saturday, the second day of the Test, with India beginning well and truly on top, the surrounds of the stadium were largely deserted. It was back to work for everyone as the inevitable records tumbled. The fans trickled into the stands but, as the first ball was about to be bowled, it was only the two press buildings – the commentary boxes at the Chittagong Club End, and the three-storey tower that houses the written media – that were full. If the average fan was worried that his day would be wasted watching his favourite cricketers ground into the dust by Sachin Tendulkar, he needn’t have bothered. Mashrafe Mortaza, the hero at Dhaka, hit the perfect line and length first up, and Tendulkar was so palpably in front of the stumps that even Aleem Dar had to take that left hand out of the pocket and point to the sky.As word of Tendulkar’s dismissal and – soon after – VVS Laxman’s spread, hope returned and the stands began to fill up. But just outside the stadium, rickshaw-wallahs argued with customers, kebab houses solicited customers, and life went on. After all, it wasn’t a Friday, there was work to do, and there was no time to stop and stare.

Greg Chappell, the former Australian captain, says that the cricket authorities should consider exiling Zimbabwe from the international game in the same way that South Africa was boycotted during the 1970s and ’80s.”The international sporting community took a stand against South Africa,” said Chappell, “and I can’t see a difference between what happened there years ago and what’s happening in Zimbabwe now.”In making his comments, Chappell becomes one of a small handful of former Australian Test players to have publicly expressed reservations about the two-Test tour by Ricky Ponting’s side, which begins today.Chappell said the banning of matches against South Africa in response to their apartheid policies had “impacted on the reforms that eventually happened in that country”. A similar ban against Zimbabwe, he told News Limited, might also be in cricket’s best interests.”The situation in Zimbabwe – and to a lesser extent Bangladesh, who received full membership before they were ready – is causing harm to the game,” said Chappell. “The long-term effects won’t be known until it’s too late. The issues must be seriously debated.”Chappell concluded: “The situation in Zimbabwe is in danger of destroying cricket in that country and having a ripple effect around the world. There is a real concern around the cricket community at the moment at the state of the game.”The Australian team arrived in Zimbabwe last night. Their principal concern, it seemed, was complacency. “I think there’s a danger in all of the talk that they [Zimbabwe] are a weak side and we are going to finish off the games early and players are going to fuel their statistics,” remarked John Buchanan, Australia’s coach, as the players flew out. “I think if any side goes on tour with that state of mind they are vulnerable.”

Inzamam-ul-Haq’s disciplinary hearing for the Pakistan team’s actions in the Oval Test has again been delayed until the end of September.The hearing was originally scheduled for August 25 but was postponed because Ranjan Madugalle, the ICC chief referee, was unavailable due to an illness in the family. Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan board, told Reuters this morning that the hearing was set for September 15, but the date has again been changed to the end of the month.”When we met with the lawyers for the PCB yesterday – which was a very amicable meeting – we suggested that the hearing happen on the 14th and 15th, bearing in mind that the one-day series finishes the previous Sunday,” Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive said. “That date did not suit them for one reason or another and they asked for it to be put back. We are looking now for a date that suits the key participants … so at this stage we are looking at the last week in September.”Inzamam and his team have been charged with ball tampering and bringing the game into disrepute. If found guilty of both charges, Inzamam could be banned for eight one-day internationals or four Tests.Meanwhile, Shaharyar also confirmed that Pakistan’s tour will go ahead despite all the controversy surrounding it. “I have spoken firmly with the boys and told them we have to fulfill our commitments even if they feel slighted by Hair and believe the hearing should have been held before the one-day series.” Pakistan are scheduled to play a Twenty20 international on Monday, followed by a five-match one-day series which starts on August 30 and ends on September 10.

Wisden Cricinfo speaks exclusively to United States captain Richard Staple in the aftermath of the qualification for the Champions Trophy in SeptemberWhat’s been the reaction to your team qualifying?
Joy and happiness. This win has done a lot for cricket here judging by the response. It’s getting out that we won the tournament, and the awareness is much greater now.What sort of feedback have you had from the non-cricket community?
We’ve received some calls from politicians. It’s an election year. That’s always good for publicity, bringing the game into the public forum.How much preparation was there before the tournament?
We had a camp in Florida as most of our players are from the north-east. Mostly net sessions – we didn’t play for months. We had Faoud [Bacchus] as well as a few guys who live in Florida, like the former West Indian player Hamesh Anthony, assisting.Did you have any idea how quickly you had to win the last match to finishahead of Scotland?
About three-quarters of the way into the game we worked out we were going to have to win with two overs to spare.The batting was your strength – did you bank on that knowing the bowling would concede some runs?
Definitely. The wickets were batting tracks and we backed ourselves to bat second as we chase pretty well. We knew our bowling wasn’t as strong.In the build-up to the Champions Trophy, will you be looking for some more bowlers?
Yes, we have some good young fast bowlers. They were overlooked – I don’t know why, to be quite honest. There is a young boy named Imran Awan in Washington DC. He’s about the quickest we have in the country. and I think we are going to have to encourage young talent like him because our bowling attack is ageing. We have a lot of cricket prior to the Champions Trophy, so hopefully we can get a few young ones in.What was different about this squad to previous ones?
Clayton [Lambert] adds professionalism [which was] lacking in the previous sides. Normally, we would lose one or two wickets and then panic when chasing around 240. He keeps his cool, and allows the other players to play with a certain amount of relaxation.Should the ICC schedule more tournaments for the top six or so non-Test countries?
Yes. That would be great. We have been too inactive. We play a tournament and then don’t play for some time. Against teams like Holland, Scotland and Namibia, we can only improve.

Mark Richardson is the sort of batsman you don’t really travel miles to watch, but want in your side when the going gets tough. On a scorching day at Rajkot he held one end up in a manner that would have made Gary Kirsten proud, defying all manner of pace and spin. Forget Kirsten, it would have made John Wright proud, and that means a great deal to Richardson.”He [Wright] probably doesn’t know it but he is my role model,” said Richardson, pouring buckets of sweat after his marathon 381-minute stint at the crease. “I know when I was a kid and when I was playing backyard cricket, I wanted to be John Wright. Once I started batting, he’s the guy I tried to model my game on a little bit. I admire the way he played and if I could go half as well as him, I’d be pretty pleased.”But it could not always have been Wright as a role model, for Richardson began his first-class career as a left-arm spinner. When that began to fail, he put his head down and re-invented himself. “The fact was that I lost my bowling. I couldn’t bowl and I wanted to play first-class cricket. I started to play as a batsman and I would get very nervous waiting to bat so the best way to overcome the nerves was to bat first. I like the lifestyle of a first-class cricketer and I didn’t want to work in a factory or anything. I had to find a way of performing so I just put my head down and really self-taught my batting,” he said, as though it were a matter of snapping his fingers. Few people in the history of the game have gone from batting No. 11 to opening with such aplomb. Ravi Shastri springs readily to mind, but he again was a tough cookie mentally.”Ninety percent of batting today was mental, wanting to survive the whole day. This is my first bat in a game for probably three months since we returned from Sri Lanka,” he admitted. “We have done a lot of work in the nets but you can only do such much in the nets. I was desperate to get time in the middle and didn’t want to throw my wicket away cheaply but I hope I haven’t used all my luck up.” People who watched him bat will tell you there was hardly any luck involved in the course of Richardson’s unbeaten 128.Then again, there’s little reason to be surprised. Richardson had success in Sri Lanka on similar wickets. He puts his success down to a sound gameplan. “I just graft away. The wickets over in Sri Lanka were pretty flat. I put my head down and did what I know best. I don’t struggle overly with the heat. I find it tough but I’ve never had trouble with heat stroke or anything like that. I was just sticking to my gameplan, and it hasn’t changed in the last four years. I just stuck to that and hoped it would get me through.” He admits, though, that his technique against spin needs working on. “I am not overly happy with the way I play spin but I have got a technique that sort of works. I have had a bit of success with it and I just stick with it.”There’s so much talk of planning in this New Zealand camp that you might get the impression that the rest of the cricket world just walks out to the middle and has a whack. Pre-tour jousting began with talks of New Zealand’s special training camps where the accent was on mimicking Indian conditions. After scoring a century the good old-fashioned way, Richardson did the world a favour by debunking some of these myths. “We’ve done a lot of work about being accountable for our gameplans. We’ve only really had nets so we have tried to make the nets as close to game scenarios as we can and I think that does help when you go out to the middle rather than just treating net time as a bit of a hit. I don’t know if we are overly innovative but what we have worked on is being really, really dedicated in the way we train.”For some strange reason, that approach almost always seems to work.

All Today’s Yesterdays – October 29 down the yearsOctober 28 | October 301877
Birth of the man Neville Cardus described as “Yorkshire cricket personified”. Wilfred Rhodes was arguably England’s best-ever allrounder, a fine strokemaker who started his Test career at No. 11 and ended up opening the batting, and a slow left-armer so precise and cunning in flight that the great Victor Trumper once implored,”For God’s sake Wilfred, give me a minute’s rest”. Rhodes was the oldest man to play Test cricket (at 52 years 165 days in West Indies in 1929-30) and the only man to have a Test career spanning over 30 years (1899-1930). He took a record 4187 first-class wickets, at a cost of only 16.71 apiece. His finest Test moments came at Melbourne: in 1903-04 he took 15 for 124, the 11th-best match figures of all time, and eight years later he matched Jack Hobbs run for run in an opening partnership of 323, England’s highest in Ashes Tests. He lost his eyesight in later life, and died in Dorset in 1973.2000
The mother of all one-day thrashings. In the Champions Trophy final at Sharjah Sri Lanka spanked India by a staggering 245 runs, the biggest win in ODI history until Australia beat Namibia by 256 runs in the 2003 World Cup. Sanath Jayasuriya went berserk, slamming 189 off 161 balls with 21 fours and four sixes. It equalled the second-highest individual score in a one-dayer, made by Viv Richards against England in 1984. Venkatesh Prasad took the most flak, with his seven overs disappearing for 73. As if that wasn’t bad enough, India then collapsed for 54, their lowest one-day total and the third-lowest of them all. Only Robin Singh reached double figures, with Chaminda Vaas taking 5 for 14 and Muttiah Muralitharan 3 for 6.1974
From the moment he faced his first ball in Test cricket with England on an unprecedented 2 for 4 at Johannesburg in 1999-2000, Michael Vaughan, who was born today, has looked the part. After his career started badly – blighted by injuries – Vaughan quickly established himself as an integral part of the England batting line-up. In 23 Tests before the start of the Ashes series in 2002, he averaged a healthy 47.50. With a very successful home series against India the same summer as an opening bat, during which he also plundered his career best 197, Vaughan confirmed he is a natural successor to Mike Atherton, whose unflappable nature he shares. In Australia, Vaughan averaged 63.3 and hit up three stylish hundreds, by far the most successful English batsman on tour. But greater challenges were ahead; after Nasser Hussain quit midway through the home series against South Africa, Vaughan had to rev up a demoralised team, which he did admirably to draw the series from 2-1 down in the final Test.1971
For some time Matthew Hayden, who was born on this day, was seen the Australian Graeme Hick – a destroyer on good wickets but short of that certain something at the top level. All that changed in 2001, when he cracked 549 runs – an Australian record for a three-match series – in India, followed by runs galore against England and South Africa. He finished with 1391 Test runs, an Australian record for any calendar year, and carried on where he left off the following season, with an heroic seven-hour 119 in stifling heat against Pakistan in Sharjah. More was to come. Against Zimbabwe at Perth, Hayden smashed 380 in quick time, breaking Brian Lara’s record of 375 in five sessions.1935
Birth of the underestimated David Allen, who played 39 Tests for England in the 1960s. He was a very useful offspinner and a handy lower-order batsman with five Test fifties and a top score of 88, at Christchurch in 1965-66. He also famously played out a rampant Wes Hall’s last over to secure a draw at Lord’s in 1963, with Colin Cowdrey, fractured arm in plaster, looking on at the non-striker’s end. With the ball Allen was consistent and steady, but he did win a couple of Test matches for his country, at Durban in 1964-65 and at Sydney a year later. He took 1209 first-class wickets, most in a 19-year career with Gloucestershire.1971
It’s a sign of the fearsome strength-in-depth of Australian cricket that Greg Blewett, who was born today, is nowhere near their Test side, because he would breeze into any other team in the world. He made three sumptuous hundreds in his first three Ashes Tests, but his finest hour came against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1996-97, when he and Steve Waugh batted throughout the third day for a fifth-wicket partnership of 385. So why isn’t he in the side? Well, he struggles against spin, for a start: Mushtaq Ahmed embarrassed him in 1995-96, and even Robert Croft snared him three times in 1997. And for all the luxuriance of his better performances, Blewett does only average an under-par 34 from his 46 Tests.1984
The first 199 in Test history. Mudassar Nazar fell at the final hurdle when he was caught behind off Shivlal Yadav in the second Test between Pakistan and India at Faisalabad. It was a fad that soon caught on: Mohammad Azharuddin, Matthew Elliott, Sanath Jayasuriya, Steve Waugh and Andy Flower have all since made 199 in a Test – but of the six, only Elliott (at Headingley in 1997) has been on the winning side. This one ended in a draw: Mudassar added 250 for the second wicket with Qasim Omar, who went on to grind out 210 in 685 minutes.Other birthdays
1870 Charles Eady (Australia)
1915 Dennis Brookes (England)
1941 Bryan Yuile (New Zealand)
1946 Anura Tennekoon (Sri Lanka)
1969 Dougie Brown (England)
1973 Adam Bacher (South Africa)

Until the end of the Indian tour of Pakistan, we will be running a daily Paper Round of what newspapers in India and Pakistan, and from around the world, are saying about this series. This is what the media had to say today:Bishan Singh Bedi has toured Pakistan over and over, as player and journalist. He told Cricket News, “There is much to gain, and far more to lose, depending on how we use the present.”On the day Bedi was unusually shy of controversy. “There is much to rake up from the past and people looking for stories would find heaps of them on umpiring and other controversial stands. But we shouldn’t forget that Imran and Sarfraz were outstanding cricketers. They were just too good even with the old ball. I have never seen any cricketer in my life who worked as hard on his fitness as Imran did. I am yet to come across a cricketer who punished his body as Imran used to do. I call him General.”Bedi warned against blowing things out of proportion. “I am sure both teams would play tough cricket and that’s the way it should be. There could be the occasional show of temper but it’s part of the game and could happen anywhere. Only because it is India and Pakistan, it shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. There could be a few who would look to play spoilsport but the majority could — and should — generate goodwill. The long-term promise of this tour should never be lost.”* * *Andy Watkinson, a pitch consultant of the ICC, has said that pitches for the forthcoming India – Pakistan series would have something in them for the bowlers. “Pakistan have some really good fast bowlers and also a few good spinners. So the pitches will have to help their fast bowlers and, later, their spinners. You basically want a result. You want the first three days of the match to be even, where the ball comes on to the bat well and there’s some pace and even bounce. You then want things to start happening after that and the ball starting to turn. So that all skills are tested. But that’s a bit idealistic — I don’t get briefs to prepare pitches a particular way.”Watkinson, who is overseeing the preparation and maintenance of pitches in Pakistan, says that he left matters in able hands. “I left detailed instructions with Aga Zaheed, who’s in charge, Basheer, the head groundsman, and Rameez Raja. These have to do with general maintenance. I’m sure things are fine and everything’s been done according to specifications. But I’ll have to go there first.”Watkinson would not be drawn into speculation about the exact nature of wickets. “Oh, I can’t really promise anything. That’ll be a bit foolish. I don’t know how things have progressed since I left. Ask me that after I’ve reached Pakistan.”* * *Fazal Mahmood, the former Pakistan captain and fast bowler, has told The Telegraph, Kolkata, that players should keep it simple to obtain best results. “The more faithful you are (to the basics), better the chances of success.”He dismissed contentions that the teams, and specifically Shoaib Akhtar, would be under severe pressure. “Actually, I don’t really understand this pressure bit… I suppose, though, it’s going to depend on how he copes with the responsibility… It’s difficult for me, or anybody else, to comment. What I can point out is that he’s a matchwinner, something he proved as recently as in Wellington when he bowled New Zealand out for peanuts.”Fazal had a kind word for Irfan Pathan. “Very promising… Has a positive approach, but needs to guard against injuries. I’m sure he will go a long way once he completes one year of big-time cricket without a fitness-related lay-off.”* * *Tickets for the India-Pakistan series are now being sold online. Click here to book yourself a ringside seat.

Sourav Ganguly may consider India the second-best team in world cricket today, but he nevertheless expects a difficult tour of Australia, and said as much to the press at Kolkata yesterday.”To be honest, it’s going to be a tough series,” Ganguly said. “It is going to be a real test of our abilities in Australia. They are a very good side and in great form. We have to lift our game to compete with them on their soil.””The Aussies are the only side ahead of us. To be honest, we are the second best team after them,” he added. “I’m pretty confident about that. My boys are experienced and have travelled throughout the world.”Ganguly also stated that India would have to “get the bowling department sorted out” but did not elaborate. He was also optimistic about his own prospects. “I’m pretty hopeful of doing well both in the Tests and one-dayers in the coming season. My hope springs from the way my team has shaped up in the last few years. I’m confident of carrying forward our success,” he said. “Winning does not depend solely on me but on the entire team. For that we have to really play well … plan well and get fit, which we are trying to do.”Reports surfaced yesterday that Ganguly had sought out Greg Chappell as a batting coach during the preparatory camp in Bangalore, but Ganguly denied them. “I have read these reports, and they are not true,” he said. “We already have John Wright who himself is a batsman.”